Best Money Mindset Book? My 9 Favorite Picks

Reading a money mindset book on a Dock to help appreciate the balance between life and money.

On my journey to financial independence, I’ve read close to 100 personal finance books. My favorite books motivate me to think about the relationship between life and money. I think of this type of book as a “money mindset book.”

In today’s post, I’ll show you my nine favorite money mindset books. These books share a common theme: they will inspire you to use money to build a life that you’re proud of.

One of the ways these books do that is by exploring the emotional side of money. In other words, they don’t just talk about the numbers and math of personal finance.

That not only makes the books more interesting to read, it also makes them so much more practical in the real world.

See, I am striving to build the best life possible for my family. To do that, I need to learn more than just the numbers.

That means I need to be good at not only making money, but also using that money to build a life on my terms. That requires finding a balance, which can be tricky.

To help strike that balance, I’ve studied how others have done it. Then, I can take what I learn and implement those lessons into my own life.

As a personal finance teacher, I can also share these lessons with my students.

And, that brings us to my favorite money mindset books.

Each one of these books has helped me develop my core life philosophies. Importantly, these books have helped me acquire and use money in alignment with those core beliefs.

Of course, when I review my Tiara Goals for Financial Freedom, I can feel the influence of each of these books on my most important values.

I recommend that you check out each of these money mindset books. You will learn not just how to acquire money, but also how to use that money to live your best life.

Let’s take a look at my favorites, in no particular order.

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

There’s a reason Rich Dad Poor Dad is the best selling personal finance book of all time. Its message is so powerful and simple that I’ve been recommending this money mindset book for years.

If you read Rich Dad Poor Dad, your entire money mindset will be changed. Kiyosaki brilliantly shares the stories he learned about money while growing up in Hawaii.

His Rich Dad was really his best friend’s dad, who was a very successful real estate investor and business owner. His Poor Dad was his actual dad, a highly educated and hardworking man who followed a traditional career path.

Using these two role models in his life, he makes a very compelling case that most of us go about life and money all wrong.

This is the money mindset book you want to start with.

Read Rich Dad Poor Dad. It’s the money mindset book that will light a fire under you like no other book I’ve read.

2. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

In The Psychology of Money, Housel writes about how people make decisions with their money in the real world. Housel agrees with one of our main themes at Think and Talk Money:

Money is emotional.

We can all be shown data and spreadsheets and understand what we should do. But, that’s usually not enough to change our behavior.

Housel is here to help with that. In The Psychology of Money, he takes core personal finance lessons and translates those lessons into regular life concepts.

Additionally, Housel teaches us the different ways people think about money. Then, he offers his perspective on how we can make better sense of money through our own life experiences.

Read The Psychology of Money. This money mindset book will help you understand the relationship between money and happiness.

3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich is another classic money mindset book that will shift your entire viewpoint on earning a living.

I first read this money mindset book in college when I learned my friend’s dad offered him $50 if he read this book.

$50 to read a book?

I needed to see what this book was all about.

At the time, I didn’t appreciate how much this money mindset book would change my life.

Originally published in 1937 and later updated, Think and Grow Rich, will convince you that you can be successful.

Initially, Hill studied innovators like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. In the updated version, you’ll learn about modern figures like Bill Gates and Mary Kay Ash.

Books on a brown wooden shelf, which includes a money mindset book to help learn about the balance between life and money.
Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

Hill’s book is so good because of what he reveals about these legendary figures.

The secret?

There was nothing mystical about any of them. Before they became legends, they were just like you and me.

You can be successful in any walk of life if you just stop sleepwalking through life like everyone else and do something.

Read Think and Grow Rich. This money mindset book will motivate you to do that thing you’ve been saying you would do, but haven’t yet.

4. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

The Richest Man in Babylon is a third classic money mindset book originally published nearly 100 years ago.

This book is a quick read. It’s ideal for anyone still not convinced that they have to pay attention to their personal finances.

Clason wrote a simple collection of fables set in the ancient city of Babylon. Each fable illustrates the importance of a key money habit, like saving and investing.

Through his stories, you’ll see how you can get ahead in life by practicing strong financial habits.

It’s not enough to just be good at making money. You need to be good at keeping that money, too.

Read The Richest Man in Babylon. This money mindset book will introduce you to the building blocks of a healthy financial life.

5. Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

Your Money or Your Life is the complete package when it comes to money mindset books.

Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez are often credited for laying the groundwork for the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement.

While I prefer the term Financial Independence Pivot Early (FIPE), I share their viewpoints on the relationship between money, work, and time.

Spoiler alert: when it comes to life and money, most of us are doing it all wrong. We chase money at the cost of our precious time.

First, you’ll learn to think of money as nothing more than a tool to build your ideal life. Next, you’ll learn how to specifically use that tool to achieve financial independence.

Read Your Money or Your Life. This money mindset book will motivate you to start valuing your time for what it’s really worth.

6. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko

It can be difficult to ignore the temptation to keep up with our neighbors. Whether we like it or not, we are concerned with our social status. Part of our self-worth gets tied to comparing ourselves to others.

One of my favorite money mindset books, The Millionaire Next Door, discusses this concept in detail.

To start, you need to adjust your perception of how real life millionaires behave.

You may be surprised to learn how most millionaires have made their fortunes. Also, you may be surprised to learn about their modest lifestyles.

Read The Millionaire Next Door. This money mindset book will help you if you’re struggling with comparing yourself to others.

7. Die with Zero by Bill Perkins

No money mindset book has led to more passionate conversations with my friends and family members than Die with Zero.

First, Perkins encourages us to think about whether we are working too many hours. In Perkins’ view, the problem is that we are sacrificing the best years of our lives. Instead, we could be creating lifelong memories.

In that same vein, Perkins makes a strong case that many of us are saving too much for retirement.

Also, Perkins questions the conventional wisdom of waiting until we die to pass money onto our kids. Instead, he suggests helping our kids earlier in life when the money will be more meaningful.

Read Die With Zero. This money mindset book will motivate you to book that vacation you’ve been putting off.

8. Millionaire Milestones by Sam Dogen

In Millionaire Milestones, Dogen covers his journey from finance bro in New York in his 20s to present day life as a writer, investor, and husband and father.

What separates Millionaire Milestones from other personal finance books is that Dogen’s still on his journey.

Girl reading a money mindset book to learn about the balance between life and money.
Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

He’s not a newbie, and he’s not preaching from the rocking chair on his patio.

Dogen’s presently raising kids. He’s focused on his website and his investments. Like you and me, he can relate to the present day challenges of personal finance because he’s still on his journey.

You can read my full review of Millionaire Milestones in my separate post here.

Read Millionaire Milestones. This money mindset book is the Goldilocks of personal finance books.

9. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is the best money mindset book on investing I’ve ever read.

It is a must-read for anyone trying to figure out why and how to invest in the stock market.

If you’re a new investor and don’t understand how to invest in the stock market, Collins will set you on your way.

If you’re a seasoned investor unsure what to do in times of economic uncertainty, Collins is here to help. 

Maybe you just need a bit of motivation or a reminder of how simple it is to build long-term wealth. There’s no one better than Collins to provide that pep talk.

Collins is sometimes described as “the Godfather of Financial Independence” in the personal finance community. He has a popular blog where you can read more about his story.

The short version is that he wrote a series of letters to his then teenage daughter about money, investing, and life. He wanted to impart the wisdom he had accumulated during his lifetime and help her avoid the mistakes he had made.

Those letters eventually led to his blog, which then led to his bestselling book, The Simple Path to Wealth, first released in 2015.

Since then, Collins has been a thought-leaders in the financial independence community. He has inspired thousands, if not millions, of people around the world to accumulate massive wealth by following a few simple rules. 

What makes Collins so transformative is his ability to make seemingly complex topics (like investing) into easily digestible and actionable information.

If you have any intention of becoming financially independent and haven’t read The Simple Path to Wealth, now is the time to do so.

I’ve read his book cover-to-cover twice and constantly refer back to his lessons.

Each time I read his book, I’m reminded how simple it is to reach financial independence if I can just follow a few simple tips.

You can read my full review of The Simple Path to Wealth in my post here.

Read The Simple Path to Wealth. It is quite simply the best money mindset book on investing I’ve ever read.

What is your favorite money mindset book?

So, these are the money mindset books that I recommend most often.

Wherever you are on your personal finance journey, there is something for everyone in one of these books.

If you have read some of these money mindset books in the past, I suggest you read them again. As our lives and priorities change, so does our relationship with money.

You’ll get something new and different from reading these books again. Personally, I didn’t fully appreciate these money mindset books until I was years into my career and knew what it felt like to work for money.

  • Have you read these money mindset books?
  • What money mindset books am I missing?

Let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you decide to purchase using my links, but at no additional cost to you. Please read my Disclosure for more information.

© 2025 Matthew Adair

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2 responses to “Best Money Mindset Book? My 9 Favorite Picks”

  1. Mike Logan Avatar
    Mike Logan

    Excellent list! Psychology of money is my favorite. I found millionaire next door pretty dry but it’s a classic. I’d add white coat investor which was my first foray into learning about personal finance, millionaire mission for its easy to follow financial order of operations, and the simple path to wealth (new version actually just got released).

    1. Matthew Adair Avatar

      Yes, great additions! The simple path to wealth is my go-to book on investing. I left it off this money mindset book list but am now thinking it should probably be added. Collins does a great job of explaining not just how to invest the right way, but also that we all have to take responsibility for our own personal finances.

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